Page:Tales and Legends from the Land of the Tzar.djvu/293

Rh entered. No sooner said than done. All day long they heated the tar, and kept pouring it into a very large vat.

In the evening Senka the Little called for his uncle, and they both went to the treasury, as usual. When they reached their destination, Senka the Little sent his uncle on in front.

"Go on first," he said, "and I shall follow."

The unfortunate uncle obeyed; he crawled through the hole and tumbled right into the vat of hot tar.

"Good heavens!" he yelled at the top of his voice, "my death has come to me at last. I am right in the middle of a hot bath of tar."

Senka at once seized his relative by the legs, thinking he would be able to pull him out; but no. He pulled and pulled, but all in vain; nothing could be done. "Well," he said, to himself, "if they find him here they will see his face, and, by the help of that, are sure to find me, for there is a strong likeness between us."

So saying, Senka unscrewed his uncle's head, and took it home to his aunt, to whom he told a long story of how her husband had been lost, and that nothing but his head was left in remembrance.

In the morning the guards came to the king, and told him that the thief had been caught, but he was headless. The king was greatly astonished, and ordered a cart, with three horses and little bells, to be got ready to drive the dead body about all over the town: in that way they might perhaps be able to find some of the man's relations. If any one was seen to weep over the dead body, the same should at once